Artist Statement

Otaku is representative of an important sub-culture in Japan. I chose this topic because I was curious about otaku.
Simply stated, otaku is obsessive fandom of any particular theme, topic, or hobby. Common obsessions for otaku are
anime and manga, pasokon(PC), games, densha(train), and pop idols. In this exhibition I will focus on anime, manga and
pop idol otaku in Akihabara.
My research time was spent in Akihabara. It was hard to do this research. For example, in Akihabara we are not
allowed to take photos in shops. Many people yelled at me and said “No photo”. Also otaku and maid girls, didn’t let
me to film them. Communicating with otaku was also difficult. They live in a separate community, unlike us. Also I realized that personally, my appearance and manners were different from otaku, so they were not open to me.
None-the-less, I interviewed them and asked them about their passions and their lives.
At first I thought otaku did not work. But they told me some otaku work as average
businessman by day, and become otaku on weekends. Then, some people are otaku all the time. I asked them how they make money to buy manga and some doll characters which play an important role in their obsessions. None I interviewed gave me any details, but a significant number told me that they
earn money on the internet.
I asked them why they hung out in Akihabara. They told me their favorite shops and café are all located in there. They
like to go to anime shop and maid cafés. They told me sometimes they have otaku meeting which they call Off-Kai.
There are some events for otaku. They love to go to events of idols. Usually they are really quiet, but they told me
when they go to event, they dance and shout a lot. Also I asked them if they have girlfriend or not. All otaku’s
answer was “No”. They fall in love with character of anime, maid girls who work at maid café, and idols. They cannot see
reality, and in a sense live in another world.
That would be awesome if I could put interview of otaku. I tried hard, but it was impossible. The image of
otaku was firmly wired in my mind, and it didn’t change even though I conducted research and observed them. On the
internet it says that the Japanese economy has increased due to the otaku. I understand this now. They spend a lot of money on their hobbies. I think otaku culture will grow up more in the future…